The 2020 Census is coming! A complete count of “all persons” living in the United States during the upcoming census is important to us all; the results determine how many Congressional seats each state gets and the amount of federal funding that states, counties and communities receive. With the White House’s outrageous attempts to add a citizenship question, our concern that vulnerable communities will be badly undercounted looms large. The Urban Institute’s recent research report assesses that California has the greatest undercount risk; their interactive tool shows how miscount risk factors could affect states and demographic groups in the 2020 Census. That’s our schools, roads, and other public services at risk of losing money!
On the upcoming census couples living together will have the option to identify their relationship as same-sex. Responses will provide the most reliable data to date on the number of same-sex marriages and cohabiting partners in the U.S.; vital information for advocates, policymakers, and researchers working on LGBTQ+ issues.
Beyond responding to the census yourself, there’s much you can do to help make sure all people in our communities are counted.
What you can do:
- Work for the Census! The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting thousands of people across the country to help with the 2020 count. Click here for more info, including job details, how to apply, pay and locations, and FAQs.
- Take Rock the Vote’s Pledge to be Counted!
- Learn more:
- Check out this site with lots of info about the California census.
- Find out other ways you can partner with the 2020 Census.
- Come to our September 29 All Members Meeting from 1-3 PM in Dublin. Indivisible Livermore’s Kyoko Takayama, an Alameda County Census Ambassador (read more about that program below), will speak about the census.
Alameda County
Apply to volunteer with Alameda County’s Census Ambassador Program! Ambassadors are trained to conduct outreach, keep their community informed, and host events to raise awareness about the census. Training and materials are provided. To learn more, check out this Census Ambassador Program flyer. Want to sign up? Apply online here. Note that there’s limited funding available to support individuals and organizations with financial need – apply by October 28 to be considered for a mini-grant. For more info, see ACgov.org’s Census 2020 webpage.
Contra Costa County
See Contra Costa County’s website for more info on census jobs for CoCoCo residents. Note that it refers to the same link we gave above to apply online for supervisory and non-supervisory jobs, at a rate of $25 – $27.50 per hour.
In July, we asked you to speak out against the administration adding a citizenship question to the census, for many reasons, including that it would skew the census count by discouraging immigrants from participating. You helped win that battle, and now it’s time to help make sure that all of us are counted!
Photo: Abacus, by Hans Braxmeier